Jackson township, named in honor of Andrew Jackson, was cut off from Columbia township by the county commissioners
in August, 1820. As first constituted it included all of the territory of the original Columbia township east of
the White Water river. But the six sections in the southeastern corner of the township - 20, 21, 28. 29, 32 and
33 - did not become a part of the township until January 16, 1826. Prior to that date these six sections had been
a part of Franklin county, their attachment to Fayette county being brought about by the legislative act of 1826.
In March, 1826, the commissioners of Fayette county formally attached the six sections to Jackson township. No
change has been made in the township limits since that time:

Practically all of the land in the township had been entered before the county was organized in 1819, although
there were two small tracts which were not entered until 1837. The complete list of land entries follows:

Township 13 North, Range 13 East.

Section 7 - Sold in 1815 and 1816 to Benjamin White, Samuel Harlan; Nicholas Pumphrey and Levi Plummer.
Section 8 - Sold in 1814, 1815 and 1816 to James Newland. David Ferree, Morgan Vardiman and Samuel Harlan.
Section 17 - Sold in 1815 and 1816 to Levi Cambridge. Zachariah Cookney and Levi Plummer.
Section 18 - Sold in 1816 to Samuel Harlan, Moses Ladd, B. Plummer, N. Ladd and John Plummer.
Section 19 - Sold in 1815 and 1816 to John Williams, Thomas Toner, Samuel Walker, Elisha Stout and John Maple.
Section 20 - Sold in 1812 and 1815 to George Monroe, John Richard- son and William Hipkins.
Section 21 - Sold in 1812, 1813 and 1814 to John Morrow. Eli Lee, William Adams and Thomas Garrin.
Section 22 - Sold in 1814 and 1815 to David Fallen. Elijah Corbin, Thomas Stockdale and James Morrow.
Section 23 - Sold in 1814, 1815 and 1817 to William Beckett. Isaac M. Johnson. John Fisher and Thomas Rish.
Section 26 - Sold in 1813, 1814 and 1815 to Obediah Estis, Robert F Taylor, Lyman Grist, S. Stanton, R. and A.
Clarke.
Section 27 - Sold in 1811 and 1814 to Eli Stringer, Thomas Henderson, Daniel George. James Mallach and Thomas Stockdale.
Section 28 - Sold in 1813. 1814, 1821 and 1825 to Samuel Wallace, Archibald Morrow. John Pollard. Sarah Lee. Charles
and James Salyers.
Section 29 - Sold in 1814, 1815, 1816, 1818 and 1832 to Solomon Shephard, Thomas Logan. Samuel Logan, Edward McKeen
and J. Ward.
Section 30 - Sold in 1816, 1817, 1818 and 1831 to Edward Simmonds, Joel Scott, Calvin Kneisley, Blackly Shoemaker,
E. Walker and I. T. Riggs.
Section 31 - Sold in 1815, 1818, 1821 and 1837 to Susanna Teagarden, John Troth, Joseph Whitelock, Stephen Lee,
John H. Carmichael, Michael Null and Enoch Youngs.
Section 32 - Sold in 1813 and 1836 to Hugh Abernathy and William Rish and others.
Section 33 - Sold in 1811, 1813 and 1814 to John Salyer, James Craig and Solomon Shephard.
Section 34 - Sold in 1811, 1812 and 1815 to Thomas Henderson, James and John Walters and Ebenezer Smith.
Section 35 - Sold in 1813 and 1814 to Ebenezer Smith, John Mc-Dwain, Edward Caring and Alexander Sims.

Township 13 North, Range 12 East.

Section 11 - Sold in 1811 to Willson and John Vincent (fractional). Section 12 - Sold in 1811, 1814 and 1816
to Samuel Fallen, Moses Baker and George Shaeffer.
Section 13 - Sold in 1812, 1813 and 1814 to Williman Vardiman, James Brownlee, John Eagen and John Julian.
Section 14 - Sold in 1811 to Thomas Gilliam and John Eagan (fractional).
Section 23 - Sold in 1811 and 1812 to Daniel Green, William Helm and Gabriel Ginn (fractional),
Section 24 - Sold in 1813. 1814 and 1816 to John Baker, Jacob Blacklidge and Christopher Ladd.
Section 25 - Sold in 1814, 1815, 1821-1837 to Morgan Vardiman, Amos Isher, John Lewis, John McCabe and Greenbury
Stitte.
Section 26 - Sold in 1814, 1816 and 1831 to Daniel Green, Edward Johnson, James Handley, Thomas J. Crisler, John
McCabe and William Wherrett.
Section 35 - Sold in 1811, 1824-1834 to Jacob Burnett, James Conwell, O. Gorden, E. Walker and Jeremiah Conwell.
Section 36 - Sold in 1817-1836 to Sanford Keller, Charles Melon, Joseph Crowley, Michael Null and James Conwell.

Many of the purchasers of land in this township were actual settlers, the first of whom; with some exceptions,
procured land along the west fork of the White Water river: The first settlements were made chiefly by emigrants
from the Southern states, the greater number coming from South Carolina and Kentucky. Among the first settlers
from the former state and those who were active in the early organization of the county were Charles Salyer, who
served as a county commissioner for eight years, and his brother, John, who was also active, but held no official
position. Coming at the same time as the men mentioned above, was Gabriel Ginn, from Kentucky, who served as county
clerk and also as sheriff for a number of years. Daniel Green, who came from Maryland, was one of the earliest
settlers in this part of the country. The story is told that while prospecting for land in what is now Franklin
county, he was attracted by sound of a cow bell and upon following it he came to the cabin of John Eagen and family,
who lived near the bridge over the river at Nulltown. The Eagen settlement was the earliest in the township of
which there is any record.

Another one of the very early settlers was Daniel Moore, who came to the "Twelve-Mile Purchase" in 1809,
and after spending one winter in Brookville, settled in Jackson township in March, 181o.

Among the settlers coming in 1812 were Joel Scott, a native of South Carolina, and James Craig, from Virginia.
The Humphreys and the Renches made permanent settlements in the township about the same time.

In 1813 the southeastern part of the township was settled by a number of related families from South Carolina and
included among them Ebenezer Smith, George Stanley, Simon Crist, James Waters and John Waters. John and James Waters
had come to the vicinity in 1812, purchased a tract of land and returned to their families. Then in the fall of
1813 the families mentioned above made the journey together. requiring about one month to make the trip. It is
believed by the descendants of some of these families that on their arrival there were no residents south and east
of Everton to what is now the Union and Franklin county lines. That section was then very heavily timbered, the
forests abounding with fine poplar.

Coming from the same locality as the Waters family, and only a few months after, were Hanson and John McIlwain,
Samuel Logan, Alexander Sims, and Robert T. and David Taylor. John Jemison made a permanent settlement in 1813
or 1814 and operated a tan yard for several years. At about the same time William Beckett, a native of Ireland,
emigrated to the township and effected a permanent settlement. James Morrow, a native of North Carolina. and John
Milliner came from Kentucky.

Eli's creek was the center of all industry during the early period. The first grist mill in the township was
erected by Doctor Johnson in 1816. The mill is believed to have passed into the hands of Jonathan Wright, who,
in later years, erected what Was known, as the Cockefair. mill. In 1818 Jonathan Wright erected the first saw mill
which stood about a half mile east of the grist mill and on the line dividing Fayette and Union counties.

John Jemison began the operation of a tannery soon after taking up permanent residence and carried on the business
for almost a quarter of a century. William Evans also operated a tannery in the Beckett neighborhood during the
early days.

On Eli creek, between the grist and saw mill owned by Wright, was a carding machine, and in connection with it
a hominy mill, built by Zacheus Stanton. In about 1848. Elisha Cockefair became the owner of these industries and
converted them into a mirror factory, which was operated for several years.

About 1846 Wilson Adams built a saw mill and a pump factory about a half mile above the grist mill and did an extensive
business for many years.

At a very early date Sanford Keeler built a grist mill about a mile from the mouth of Bear creek. The industry
was later owned by Rev. Joseph Williams and John Lambert. North of the mill was a saw mill built by Charles Malone
and later owned by John Conwell. The mill finally fell into disuse and was supplanted by another mill of the same
kind on the south fork of Bear creek, built by E. R. Lake and later owned by Wilson Adams, who built the second
pump establishment in the township. Adams also installed a pair of buhrs and had a little corn cracker in connection.

About two miles north of the mouth of Bear creek, on the west fork of White Water, was the Morgan Vardiman grist
mill, which was built at a very early date.

During the early period in which stills were in existence, such were in operation on the farms of John and Charles
Salyer, John Baker and William Arnett.

EARLY SCHOOLS.

One of the first, if not the first, school houses in the township was the one that stood northeast of Everton
in section 21. John Lee is thought to have taught a three months school prior to 1817. Lot Green and Andrew Lewis
were also early teachers.

The next school house in the township was built in section 26 and on the farm of Obediah Estis. Lot Green is thought
to have been the first teacher. School was sometimes held in the old meeting house that stood by the graveyard
on Poplar Ridge and which for a number of years served the Friends as their place of worship. An Irishman by the
name of Thomas O'Brien taught several terms at this place and among his pupils were the Stantons, Truslers, Becketts,
Wrights and the Wards.

In 1816 or 1817 a school was taught by David Sloan in a cabin that stood on section 19. Soon after this a log school
house was built about a mile farther south in which the first teacher was Joseph Moore.

The third school house built in the township was on section 24, between two and three miles west of Everton. Robert
Cathers, Robert Willis and William Eskew were early teachers. Just a little later another school house was built
on section 30, on the north fork of Bear creek and John Gunn taught here for several terms.

In about 1827 or 1828 a school was taught by Travis Silvey in an abandoned dwelling that stood in section 12. Another
school house of the same kind was standing just east of the Mount Zion church, around which many interesting events
occurred. One of these happened while John Barnes was teaching about the year 1820. In this particular case Barnes
was "barred out" and after being satisfied that he could not make an entrance was willing to submit to
any kind of a compromise. The boys suggested that "Daddy" Baker. who lived close by, had a good store
of winter apples and that if going for a bushel was any object the barricade would be removed. Suffice to say that
the apples were forthcoming.

EVERTON.

The village of Everton is located near the center of Jackson township, seven miles southeast of the county seat,
its banking point, and four miles east of Nulltown, its shipping point. The village as originally laid out was
on parts of farms of William Adams and Eli Lee, who purchased the land from the government in 1813 and 1812 respectively.
The origin of the hamlet is quite obscure and bids fair to remain as such because not even tradition has been able
to trace the early years of its history. The place seems to have first been named Lawstown, or Lawsburg, and then
West Union. During the time it was called by the latter name an addition of twelve lots was made just south of
South street, this occurring in December, 1836. In March, 1856, the county commissioners ordered that the name
of the village be changed to that of Everton, which was the name given the postoffice, which had been established
on November to, 1827, with Joseph D. Thompson as postmaster. No one in the village in 1917 could explain the origin
of the name Everton.

The first persons to whom the county commissioners granted license to carry on business were Thomas J. and Miles
H. Larimore, merchants, in 1828; in 1829, Maria Haughton, merchant; Thomas A. Thorn, tavern; in 1832, Thomas A.
Thorn, tavern and liquor: William Beckett and Robert Taylor, groceries and liquor: in 1834, Isaac T. Riggs, tavern
and liquor: in 1836, Frederick A. Curtis, tavern and liquor; 1838, Hugh Morrow, tavern and liquor. More than a
score of different men have had mercantile establishments of one kind or another since the forties. There was a
time when Everton even rivaled Connersville as a trading center. In the village itself, or within three miles of
it, there were to be found in the period prior to the Civil War a shingle factory, coffin factory, pump factory
(still in operation by S. E. Adams), saw mill, wagon shop, tannery, distillery, woolen factory, grist mill and
a charcoal kiln.

The village became a corporate body, January 20, 1841, and William H. Evans was elected president of the village
council and R. N. Taylor was chosen clerk. However, the town had only two separate population returns: in 1860
it was given a population of two hundred and thirty nine and in 1870, one hundred and forty nine. The local records
of the town during its period of incorporation have long since disappeared and it is impossible to tell when the
corporation was dissolved. If the corporation had a continuous existence up to 1870, it appears that the town would
have had a separate population return in 1850, but it does not. Returns were made separately for the town in 1860
and 1870 and as none was made in 1880, it is very evident that the corporation was dissolved some time between
1870 and 1880.

The business interests at the beginning of 1917 were in the hands of the following: Thomas Dawson. general store:
Jermain & Griffith, blacksmiths; W. M. Moore, general store; E. R. Lake, farm implements: Dr. M. Ross, physician
and surgeon. The Methodists have the one church in the village, E. A. Hartsaw being the pastor. The present population
is about one hundred and fifteen. The postmaster is Thomas Dawson. Two rural routes in charge of George Scott and
Arthur Clark. are connected with the local postoffice.

A town hall furnishes a meeting place for all public gatherings, lodges, etc.

The little hamlet of Bentley, located in the southeastern part of Jackson township. was chosen for a postoffice
in 1882. The office was established on June 27, 1882, with Ebenezer Glenn, who conducted a general store. as postmaster.
Among other postmasters were Henry Trusler, Ira Trusler and "Bub" Smith. The village has no store at
the present time and is on a rural route.

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